EU Could Cripple future graphics cards

A very interesting story appeared on a colleague website today. New information about a new energy law that will apply within the EU has surfaced on the web. The new law requires that both discrete and integrated graphics cards live up to certain energy standards. AMD is worried that this will affect next generation graphics cards and have them barred from sales in the EU. There are standardizations that make sure pre-built computers, but also discrete components, achieve a certain level of energy efficiency.

The story is reported by Nordic Hardware so credits and props to them, here's their skinny on it:

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Exactly how much depends on a row of criteria. These standards also include simple things, such as that after a certain amount of time the computer will enter sleep mode. The idea behind this is to have as energy efficient computers as possible to reduce the overall consumption of energy. The specification for the so called Eco design Lot 3 with the EC can be found here, where there are hundreds of pages to read for those with lots of time to spare.

FB_BW is short for Buffer Bandwidth. What we call memory bandwidth in graphics cards

There are currently seven specifications for graphics cards - G1, G2, G3, G4, G5, G6 and G7. Graphics cards of the G7 classification have a bandwidth of 128 GB/s (GigaByte per Second) and more, without an upper limit today. The category depends on the performance - in this case measured in memory bandwidth. These GPU categories are also paired with a certain level of energy efficiency. If a graphics card doesn't live up to the standard set by the EC it can be removed from all markets within the EU. The rules will now be constricted, which threatens next generation graphics cards.

The commission wants to stop dedicated graphics cards of group G7 from going above 320 GB/s - that is in theory a memory bus at 384-bit connected to memory operating at 6667 MHz or 512-bit with 5001 MHz. This is definitely within reach for the next generation graphics cards. Radeon HD 7970 GHz Edition currently has a bandwidth of 288 GB/s with a 384-bit memory bus and 6000 MHz memory. For notebooks the limit will be only 225 GB/s.

Besides that the energy efficiency requirements will be tighter - in this case the energy consumption of the card in relation to its memory bandwidth. Performance delivered in games or general calculations are irrelevant. according to Lot 3. Exactly what the "performance" and energy consumption quote looks like we don't know at the time of writing, but it will also affect cards in the entry level segment and not just performance and enthusiast cards. The quote is strict enough to worry AMD.

Future generations are in danger

According to data NordicHardware has seen from a high level employee at AMD, current graphics cards are unable to meet with these requirements. This includes "GPUs like Cape Verde and Tahiti",that is used in the HD 7700 and HD 7900 series, and can't meet with the new guidelines, the same goes for the older "Caicos" that is used in the HD 6500/6600 and HD 7500/7600 series. Also "Oland"is mentioned, which is a future performance circuit from AMD, that according to rumors will be used in the future HD 8800 series. What worries AMD the most is how this will affect future graphics cards since the changes in Lot 3 will go into effect soon. The changes will of course affect Nvidia as much as it will AMD.

The commission guidelines could be too strict for next generation graphics cards

Earlier today there were talk about the new restrictions going into effect in early 2013, but now it looks like it will be 2014. This will put nearly unrealistic demands on both AMD and Nvidia. Besides the fact the standardization is not very logical since memory bandwidth does not translate into performance that easily we see it as a great obstacle for future graphics cards, but the revision of "Lot 3" is done and the wheels are set in motion.

According to a report published in August this year the current roadmaps [from AMD and Nvidia] does not support the new requirements up until 30 months into the future. The changes in Lot 3 will therefore be introduced in steps. The first will be in 2013 or 2014 as mentioned above, and thereafter new restrictions will apply in 2015. OEM companies like Dell and HP are well aware of this and worried about how this will affect their operations. The changes should also affect retail graphics cards and home builders.

Graphics card energy consumption has been rising steadily over the last couple of years. Last generation the limit for the PCI Express standard was broken when graphics cards sporting two GPUs consumed well over 300 watt, both from AMD and Nvidia. Both us and our well informed readers think that the way the EC is applying its restrictions is wrong, especially how it has decided to estimate performance. AMD is planning on making an official statement and hopefully the EC will listen. We have not been able to reach Nvidia for a comment on this issue, but hopefully they share AMD's concern.

We definitely feel that restrictions that lead to more efficient hardware is a good thing, but it needs to be done properly with the affected companies being involved in the discussion. We will of course follow up on this and return with more information when possible.

Its funny how that post went completely unnoticed by every subsequent poster until your quote. Seems like most gurus still can't read properly!

The most famous example is when they thought the start menu for Windows 8 had been completely removed.

So many people "WELL MICROSOFT HOW AM I GONNA LAUNCH ANYTHING?"

bemaniac
Senior Member

Posts: 248
Joined: 2009-03-17

#4431806 Posted on: 10/15/2012 03:37 PM
DW guys we'll import our 8990s and 790s and overclock them in sli/xfire still and we'll use 1200watt psus because we can and because they tell us we can't. Stupid law gets ignored I was straining with rage when reading this story and it became the first ever news story that made me fart accidentally.

NH IS FULL OF $#&*, THERE ARE NO MENTIONS OF UPPER BW LIMIT IN THE REPORT WHATSOEVER

So we should take the bandwidth upper limit statement to be from an anonymous source.

NordicHardware has seen exclusive information

Yeah that is pretty much all we can take from the article. It is clear that the linked report is not the exclusive information they are talking about since it wouldn't be exclusive if it was. "Exclusive information" is pretty much the same as "anonymous source." So, I mean, that is standard fare for online news now anyways.

Well, most of the time anonymous sources are full of...

zaeb
Senior Member

Posts: 54
Joined: 2012-03-31

#4431905 Posted on: 10/15/2012 07:20 PM
since im in the ****yest country in the europ were never gonna enter eu so fu.k the law.

Moricon
Junior Member

Posts: 5
Joined: 2010-07-08

#4431909 Posted on: 10/15/2012 07:27 PMStupid EU

The sooner we get a vote on our place in the EU the better for the UK.

I know how I am voting, 100% out!

For this I am now going to add another HD 5850 along with my current two and burn extra power, SCREW YOU EU!

#4431935 Posted on: 10/15/2012 08:06 PM
If this was a TDP/Wattage limitation then I could at least understand the logic behind it; as it is, this makes very little sense at all. :/

EspHack
Senior Member

Posts: 2381
Joined: 2010-01-03

#4431952 Posted on: 10/15/2012 08:27 PM
lol where is the pic...
aah.. here it is.. seriously wtf is going on, just makes me think about what kind of trolls are behind that bs, and how innocent they are at computer parts knowledge jezzus

#4431996 Posted on: 10/15/2012 10:05 PM
Actually the difference is the 320gb/s will be included ( as it was initially the case with the 2009 law, but 320gb/s (G7 strutcute ) was excluded at this time. ) ...

Yes it will be included. When and if gets added into Directive, and 30 months after that. God knows what happens in the meantime.

Still, there is nothing there about GPU having upper bandwidth limit.
But instead bandwidth is used merely as a mean of classification in energy consumption regulation, right?

But you sound like you know more... Are you by any chance participating in these Brussels shenanigans

no_1_dave
Senior Member

Posts: 214
Joined: 2004-08-13

#4431998 Posted on: 10/15/2012 10:14 PM
This is an old report from back in 2009 that has since been dropped.
How is this even news?

BLEH!
Senior Member

Posts: 5822
Joined: 2010-10-17

#4432014 Posted on: 10/15/2012 10:38 PM
The sooner we get a vote on our place in the EU the better for the UK.

I know how I am voting, 100% out!

For this I am now going to add another HD 5850 along with my current two and burn extra power, SCREW YOU EU!

I like your thinking sir!

GhostXL
Senior Member

Posts: 6006
Joined: 2004-10-30

#4432039 Posted on: 10/15/2012 11:21 PM
Sure but that'll be because we'll be sitting on current gen. performance for a long time just to suit the EU's standards. Considering this generation is pretty good when it comes to power/performance and still doesn't meet the requirements, we won't see decent performance cards each gen.

They need to put more thought into their restrictions, the way they're doing it will ruin progress and the companies.

Nah, this will let them do refreshes of current gen like in the past, instead of trying to leap over the cards power every year.

Aka the 8/9 GTX series and GTX 280/285 etc. I'd rather see something like to give devs a catch up period to let more people upgrade into DX11 hardware, instead of having to shell out 250+ every year for a new series of card because it has "new features".

sykozis
Senior Member

Posts: 20709
Joined: 2008-07-14

#4432046 Posted on: 10/15/2012 11:42 PM
It's extremely ignorant to based limitations on power by referencing the memory bandwidth. As technology advances, memory bandwidth will increase and power consumption will decrease. It would make more sense to limit energy consumption in general. NVidia did exceptionally well with the 600 series in regards to power consumption and I have no doubt that they're capable of further reducing power consumption... My issue is what it will cost consumers long term for them to keep pushing for lower power products. R&D isn't cheap to begin with and being forced into power constraints based on memory bandwidth will make it increasingly costly to develop GPUs. Sadly, I see other countries following suit if the EU manages to make this happen....as well as stricter power constraints in the future... Sad day when the EU decides it's more important to hinter innovation than to promote it... I thought the EU was better than that....